Spark-plug cleaner



`Buma l2, l923. 1,458,691

F. H. ELWELI.

SPARK PLUG CLEANER Filed Sept. '7. 1920 Patented .iene i2, 1923. i t f s'rArss tatami Ars-Nr OFFICE. ,j i

` FRANKLIN H. ELWELL, or cH1cAGo,ILL1NoIs.-

SPARK-PLUG CLEANER.

Application led September 7, 1920. Serial No.4()8f131i.` i

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, FRANKLIN H. ELWELL, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of the city of Chicago, in the countyof spark plug cleaners heretofore consisting ofk a casing removably screwthreaded upon the external threads of a spark plug, forming a closed reservoir for a cleansing fluid and provided with a perforated plunger for ther passage of the cleansing fiuid therethrough,

to which plunger are secured bristles which are limited in use to the cleansing of the ground and central electrodes.

The prime object of my invention broadly stated, is a spark plug cleaner adapted to removably socket in the housing for ythe insulator thereof, having an imperforate plunger to which bristles are secured and so arranged that they are adapted for removing deposits of carbon and other foreign material from the surface of the insulator in its entirety and likewise incidentally cleansing the ground and central electrodes.

More specifically stated, the object of my invention is a spark plug cleaner, the casing or body portion of which is adapted to surround and be projected to contact with the base of the insulator and provided with a plunger from which project metallicy bristlesy f arranged in their. operative position to sur` round the surface of and adaptedy to be pro# jected to endwise contact with` the base of the insulator, and on being reciprocated and oscillated, to cleanse the surface of the insulator in its entirety of carbon` deposits by a cutting and scraping action.`

A further object of my invention is to have the brush of a spark plugfcleaner so constructed that it is adapted to first cleanse deposits fromthe ground terminal and thereafter be maintained from contact therewith during and throughout lthe operation of the cleaner for removing the carbon deposits from the surface of the insulator in its entirety. c

With theseends in View, my invention finds embodiment in certain features of novelty in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts by which the` said objects are attained, all as hereinafter fully described with reference to the accompanyingdrawngs and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In said drawings,-

Fig. 1 is a perspectiveview of a spark plug cleaner in which myinvention finds its embodimenu'withthe brush therefor yin its retracted position.

Fig. Q is a similar view showing the brush in its projectedfposition.`` t f F ig. 3 isa transverse sectionfon the line 3 3 of Fig. 1., j

Figis a'longitudinal section in which the cleanerfand spark plug areshown on an enlarged scale.

F ig. 5 is a similar view taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. 4.

Similar characters of reference `indicate the same parts yin the several figures of the drawing. y f f The shellor body portion ofthe spark plugLv cleaner in which my invention finds n embodiment, consists ofva tube 6` open lat kboth ends and of a diameter adaptedto refv movably fit the inner wall of lthe housing for the insulator S `with sufiicient closeness for its end edges to scrape fromthe `walls of the housing carbonand other foreign materials deposited thereon and to surround the insulator and seat` against the outwardly curved surface ofits base. Confined within the body portion 6 is a plunger 9, the rod 10 ofwhich terminates in a handley 11, the stroke of which rod-is limited `by means ofk a pin 12 secured to thc `plunger and projectingthrough anelon gated yclosed end slot 13, which notonlv limitsL the stroke ofjthe plunger, Abut is suflicientlywider than the diameter ofthepin 12to permit a slight oscillation lof the plunger. l y

`Securedto the inner endy of the plunger byfany suitable means, isa brush 14: corn structedof flexible bristles715 which are are ranged lengthwisein the form of a circle, provided at one sidewith an opening providing for a longitudinal slot 16 in the brush formed by the bristles, the bristles ybeing preferably beveled at the ,free ends to provide cutting` edges 12a.' q y Normally the diameter of the circle formed by the bristles is such that their ends will .contact with and first remove carbon deposited on the rounded end or nose 17 of the insulator 8. p 1

The shell 6 has therein la longitudinal yslot 18 adapted to straddle the horizontal arm e 19 of the ground terminal 2O for the spark plug, .the lengthl of the slot being such as to permit the end of the shell to seat against the base of the insulator, or after being inserted for a suiiicient distance to seat against the converging walls of the housing 7 and that before being seated the horizontal member 19 may not be bent from contact with the inner end wall of the slot 18. In this connection it is properto note that the purpose of the longitudinal opening 16 between the bristles isto prevent them from lateral contact with the ground terminal with sufficient force to bend or otherwise injure the ground terminal 20 of the spark plug, when 'oscillating the brushes. Y

When, for any reason, the use of the brush is to be limitedto the cleansing of the surface of the insulator, the slot 16 is normally I icient to form yielding opposing j awsfrictionally gripping the horizontal arm 19 of the ground terminal during its passage between them and thereby scraping deposits of carbon therefrom.

Located on a line passing between opposing faces of these yielding scrapers is a pin 23 secured a't one end to the shell 6 and projecting inwardly beyond the axis of the brush, which pin, when the brush is withdrawn to the limit of its backward stroke, projects vbetween and holds the jaws i22 separated for receiving the ground terminal before and during the initial forward thrust of the brush, followingl which the pin passes thence into the open slot 16 and the jaws gripkthe ground terminal and operate to scrape the deposits ofvcarbontherefrom.

As shown, the slot 18 is parallel with and at one side ofthe opening 16 in the bristles and its inner end is in open communication with a transverse slot 241 in the shell, with the result that, following the insertion of the shell to its seated position in the housing the ground terminal isy caused to register with the opening between the cleaning jaws 22 on turning the shell until said terminal occupies the position shown in Fig. 4.

With the several parts in the position shown in Fig. fthe operator then pushes'on the handle 11 until the ground terminal is entered between the jaws 22, Aand the pin 23 has vpassed from between the jaws 22 into the slot 16, whereupon thejaws will yieldingly grip the ground terminal, with the result that if there is .a deposit of carbon on the ground terminal, it will be scraped therefrom vbefore the free ends of the bristles have come in contact with the nose 17 of the insulator 8.

Asv the pushing upon the brush is continued and following vthe initial Contact of its bristles with the nose of the insulator, the cutting edges of the bristles operate to sever and loosen carbon deposits wherever they 'may be on the surface of the insulator, so that, following this they are quickly and cleanly i removed therefrom on oscillating the brush but very little. I

."While it is preferable to construct the bristles of the brush of steel wire, because of their flexibility and resistance to a compressive yforce otherwise tending to bend them out of 1 shape, my invention includes any material capable of successful use in a s'parkfplug cleaner for cleansing carbon deposits from theinsulator of a spark plug,`

nor is my invention limited tothe circular form in cross-section of the brush or of the body portion therefor. l f

Again it is to be noted that carbon deposits on the ground/electrode seldom occur as compared with the frequency and the amount of its deposit upon the. surface of the insulator and the surrounding wall of the housing therefor', and therefore that my invention is not to be confined to the use of abrush provided with means for removing carbon deposited on the electrodes of a spark plug when it is otherwise adapted for removing such deposits from the surface of the insulator, either with or without removing them from the surrounding walls of the housing therefor.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: i

1. A spark plug cleaner, provided with a brushr the bristles of which are knormally straight and arranged longitudinally in a hollow circular form and adapted to substantially surroundand thereby adapted vto remove deposits of carbon and other material fromsubstantially the entire surface of the insulator for a spark plug.v

2. VA spark plug cleaner, provided with a brush thebristles of which are 4arranged in a hollow circular form, and are provided with an open slot at one side thereof adapted to receive and maintain from contact therewith'the ground terminal of the spark plug.

8. A spark plug cleaner, provided with bristles arranged to form a circle, 'the length of which bristles substantially correspond with that of the surface of the insulator 'to be cleaned of carbon deposits,l said bristles being beveled across their free ends to form cutting edges adapted to seversaid deposits and accordingly facilitating their removal from the insulator.

1. A spark plug cleaner, provided with a brush the bristles of which extend longitudinally and substantially parallel, and are arranged in hollow circular form, `the ends of said bristles being beveled outwardly acrossk their free ends to provide cutting edges thereby adapted to both cut'and scrape from the surface of the insulator for a spark plug and in its entirety carbon andy other foreign material deposited thereon. i

5. A spark plug cleaner, comprising a hollow body, a plunger therein, and areoiprocating means therefor, a brush the bristles of `which are substantially straight throughout their length, are seouredto the end of the plunger in hollow Circular form and thereby adapted to have lateral and end Contact with a spark plug insulator. n

6. A spark plug Cleaner comprising a hollow body provided with a longitudinal slot, a plunger, a brush secured to saidplunger the bristles of which are arranged in hollow circular form, a pin secured to theplunger projecting through said slot for limiting the stroke of the brush. y

7. A spark plug cleaner, comprising a hollow body, a plunger longitudinally movable in said body, a brush secured to said plunger,

land means connected with the plunger for` controlling the movement of the brush, said brush comprising bristles arranged longitudinally and in hollow circular form withy a slot in one side thereof.

8. A spark plugcleaner comprising a hol-k low body provided with a closed end longitudinal slot, a plunger confined therein, andy having a pin projecting through ysaid s lot whereby the longitudinal and oscillating movement of the plunger is accordingly limited, said body portionalso provided with another longitudinal slot occupying a plane parallel with said first slot and open at the end. of the plunger, and withtransverse slot opening adjacent the inner end of said open end slot, and whereby the end of the shell may pass the ground terminal of a spark yclosed slot.

plug to its seated position in the vicinity of ythe base thereof and to alineinent with the 9. ik spark plug Cleaner ycomprising an plunger working in said body portion provided witha pin projecting through said' slot for limiting'the operating movement of the plunger, a brush secured to the end of the plunger the bristles of which are ar-y yranged in the form of a hollowcircle, proopen end hollow body portion, having therein a longitudinal slot closed at both' ends, a`

slot and atransverse slot connecting there-'- with and adapted to straddle the ground terminal of a spark plug cleaner duringthe movement of the body portion to its seated position and for alining said terminal' with the slotlike opening inthe brush.

, yl0. A n spark plug cleaner` Comprising a hollow body portion, a plunger confined and working therein,a brush the bristles of which are arranged in hollow' tubular form, provided with a longitudinal opening between the bristles atone side, said bristles being provided adjacent their free endsvwithre-` silient gripping jaws adapted to scrape deposits of carbon fromthe ground terminal of a spark plug in its passage between them, and means by which the ends' of the body terminal and move said terminal to register between' said jaws.

ln witness whereof, l have hereunto sety FRANKLIN n. ELWELL.

l/Vitnesses i i i JN0.' G. ELLro'rr, H.y Snack.

[n s] I' portion may bemoved inwardly beyond said j 

